UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Lok Sabha Passes Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026

Q1. The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 was piloted in Parliament by which one of the following administrative units of the Union Government?

  • A. The Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education, Government of India
  • B. The Centre-State Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India
  • C. The Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
  • D. The Legislative Department under the Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India

Q2. Among the penal provisions revised by the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, the single highest ceiling on fine is prescribed for which one of the following?

  • A. Resort to unfair means in a public examination by a person other than a candidate
  • B. Failure of a service provider to report an offence to the police or examination authority
  • C. Involvement of the directors or senior management of a service provider in an offence
  • D. Commission of an organised crime in relation to the conduct of a public examination

Q3. With reference to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, the expression 'date of commencement' of the Act refers to:

  • A. 21 June 2024, the date notified by the Central Government on which the Act came into force
  • B. 12 February 2024, the date on which the Act received the assent of the President of India
  • C. 9 February 2024, the date on which the second House of Parliament passed the Bill
  • D. 5 February 2024, the date on which the Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by the Minister

Q4. Consider the following statements regarding the legislative passage of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024: 1. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on 6 February 2024 and by the Rajya Sabha on 9 February 2024. 2. The Bill received the assent of the President on 25 February 2024, that is, sixteen days after it was passed by the second House. 3. The Act was brought into force more than four months after it received assent, with effect from 21 June 2024. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on 6 February 2024 and by the Rajya Sabha on 9 February 2024.
  2. The Bill received the assent of the President on 25 February 2024, that is, sixteen days after it was passed by the second House.
  3. The Act was brought into force more than four months after it received assent, with effect from 21 June 2024.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q5. The concluding chapter of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, as originally enacted, is devoted to which one of the following subjects?

  • A. Miscellaneous provisions, including the power of the Central Government to make rules
  • B. Investigation of offences and the declaration of all offences as cognizable ones
  • C. Amendment of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 1944, by way of a single section
  • D. Punishment for offences, including punishment for organised crimes in examinations

Q6. Consider the following in the context of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024: 1. The Union Public Service Commission is an authority whose examinations fall within the Act's coverage. 2. A candidate who resorts to unfair means in a public examination is liable to punishment under the penal provisions of this Act. 3. The National Testing Agency, which conducts NEET, JEE and CUET, is an authority whose examinations fall within the Act's coverage. 4. The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection is an authority whose examinations fall within the Act's coverage. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. The Union Public Service Commission is an authority whose examinations fall within the Act's coverage.
  2. A candidate who resorts to unfair means in a public examination is liable to punishment under the penal provisions of this Act.
  3. The National Testing Agency, which conducts NEET, JEE and CUET, is an authority whose examinations fall within the Act's coverage.
  4. The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection is an authority whose examinations fall within the Act's coverage.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q7. Under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, the term 'service provider' denotes which one of the following?

  • A. A statutory body notified by the Central Government to conduct a public examination
  • B. A coaching institute empanelled by an examination authority to train candidates
  • C. An officer deputed as centre superintendent to supervise a public examination
  • D. An organisation providing computer resources or other support to an examination authority

Q8. The examination whose cancellation in 2026 prompted the Amendment Bill was covered by the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 on which one of the following grounds?

  • A. It was conducted by an authority specified in the Schedule to the Act or notified by the Central Government
  • B. It was conducted for admission to professional courses in institutions aided by the Central Government
  • C. It was conducted simultaneously in more than one State and Union territory of the Indian Union
  • D. It was conducted through a computer-based testing platform hired from an external technology vendor

Q9. Consider the following statements about the events that led to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026: 1. NEET 2026 was cancelled in May 2026 following an alleged leak of the question paper. 2. The cancelled examination was re-conducted only in the succeeding admission cycle of the following year. 3. The Amendment Bill was introduced in Parliament in July 2026, in the same calendar year as the cancelled examination. 4. The cancelled examination was conducted by the National Testing Agency, an authority already covered by the parent Act of 2024. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. NEET 2026 was cancelled in May 2026 following an alleged leak of the question paper.
  2. The cancelled examination was re-conducted only in the succeeding admission cycle of the following year.
  3. The Amendment Bill was introduced in Parliament in July 2026, in the same calendar year as the cancelled examination.
  4. The cancelled examination was conducted by the National Testing Agency, an authority already covered by the parent Act of 2024.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 3 and 4
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 4

Q10. Under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 as sought to be amended in 2026, the longest minimum term of imprisonment is prescribed for which one of the following?

  • A. Resorting to unfair means, such as unauthorised access to a question paper or answer key
  • B. Conspiring with others to facilitate the use of unfair means in a public examination
  • C. Committing an organised crime for wrongful gain in relation to a public examination
  • D. Involvement of a person in charge of a service provider in an offence under the Act

Q11. The Government described the central Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) legislation as a 'model draft' for the States. In this context, the expression means that:

  • A. the central law extends to State-conducted examinations unless the State legislature resolves otherwise
  • B. States may, at their discretion, adopt its provisions for their own State-level public examinations
  • C. States must enact legislation on identical lines within a period prescribed by the Central Government
  • D. the central law applies to State examinations once the State obtains the prior assent of the President